Monday Montage #70

I'm BAAAAA-AAAAACK!!! And it's Monday Montage time again!!! I swear my body has NO CLUE what time zone I am in (we did a 14-hour timezone change TWICE in a week ... and the sun rises at 4:30AM in Beijing ... and we had to get up at 3:00AM on the morning of the race)! I couldn't really blog while I was in China. The internet access we had was absolutely AWFUL!!! (And there is a lot of stuff I couldn't access at ALL ... so there you have it!)

This is Flirty Flamingo Day for me!!! I am IN LOVE with this color!!! Both cards I am sharing with you today are from my 2016 OnStage "stash" ... I still have more to post from that and will try to get them all up in the next week. Trying to adjust to "normal" ... whatever THAT means!!

Stamps: Fabulous Flora
Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, 2016-17 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White
Accessories: Whisper White 5/8" Organza Ribbon, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Extra Large Oval Punch, Rhinestone Basics, Project Life Corner Rounder Punch

So very happy that the "Party with Cake" stamp set is carrying over for another year. And the Writing Notes background stamp as well!!! I think I am going to wear out my Mini Treat Bag Framelits Dies as well ... Now I want cake ... and a brownie ...

Stamps: Party With Cake, Writing Notes
Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, Pool Party, 2016-2017 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay
Accessories: Banner Framelits, Mini Treat Bag Framelits, Pool Party Thick Bakers Twine, Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim

TAAA-DAAAAAA!!!! Yes, I DID IT!!! I FINISHED!!! Holy smokes!!! This was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible, amazing, breathtaking, challenging, awesome, fantastic things I have EVER done! It took me 8 hours 9 minutes and 8 seconds (the wall portion ... SO many stairs! ... was two hours in each direction!) ... it was 86 degrees ... probably HOTTER if you take into account the heat reflection from the pavement and the bricks on the wall. I felt GREAT the next day, though (was so wiped out on the 3-hour bus ride back to Beijing, though!)!! I feel like I can do ANYthing!!! Can't even express in words how this made me feel ... it was beautiful and humbling to climb on The Great Wall of China ... I want to do it AGAIN!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... they inspire me!!!

Old and New Freaks!

Greetings and welcome to this month's Control Freaks Blog Tour!! This month we are all trying to share something old and/or something new, which basically means we can use stuff on it's way out from the 2015-2016 Stampin' Up Catalog, or something NEW from the 2016-2017 Stampin' Up Catalog. I'm lucky enough to have my good friend, Melissa Stout right before me on this tour (as happens when we do the Monday Montage blog hop as well). Her creations always have something fun and surprising, don't they??

This is the best stamp set. Wetlands. I am SO glad it isn't going to retire. But, alas ... my most favorite embellishment of ALL FREAKING TIME - the burlap ribbon - is bidding us a fond farewell ... SNIFF-SNIFF-SNIFF!!! Oh how I have LOVED this stuff (as you can tell, because I have been using it on practically EVERYthing since I got it!)!

Stamps: Wetlands, Vintage Leaves
Paper: Peekaboo Peach, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, 2016-2016 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Peekaboo Peach
Accessories: Hearth & Home Thinlits, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Leaflets Framelits, Project Life Corner Rounder Punch, Burlap Ribbon, Woodgrain Textured Impression Embossing Folder, Mini Stapler

I super-duper LOVE the sentiments in this Love & Affection stamp set (coming to a catalog near you VERY soon!)!! The script is just so sweet and the sayings are also ... well ... sweet. LOVE it!

Stamps: Love & Affection
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso (yeah ... it looks BLACK ... I'm still using photos I took at the airport!), 2016-2016 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Peekaboo Peach, Early Espresso
Accessories: Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Tags & Labels Framelits, Chevron Natural Ribbon, Gold Sequin Trim, Woodgrain Textured Impression Embossing Folder

If all has gone well with the Bucket List Gods, I will be in China when you all are reading this (and I will be about 24 hours away from the Great Wall Marathon!!)!!! There has been SO MUCH leading up to this moment ... I honestly have butterflies as I type this ... NEVER thought a year ago this was going to happen!!! Actually, I really just want to finish (which I know is not the reason I started this whole journey, but it SURE would be AWESOME!)!!

Next up??? The amazing and talented Deb Henderson!!! So excited about what she has made!!

Monday Montage #69

Welcome to Monday Montage! Where does the time go??? I always look forward to each and everything created by my friends on this "team" ... I get so VERY much inspiration from each and every one! (And I WILL admit that I have generously "borrowed" from their ideas from time to time!)

I kinda cased myself on this card. I made a monochromatic version of this a few weeks back and decided I MUST use the new InColor DSP to recreate it (Sweet Sugarplum!)!! This was one of the samples I did for the 2016 OnStage display boards. And the reason the background for this card is SO "un-fancy" is because I took it on one of those power-charging tables at the airport!!! Yeah ... I'm sitting in the Seattle airport as I type this (and yeah, I DID bring some cards with me to take pictures of so I could "blog" while I was waiting to see if we are going to score with our "buddy passes" or not).

Stamps: Fabulous Flora, Timeless Textures
Paper: Whisper White, 2016-17 InColor DSP Stack
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum
Accessories: Botanical Builder Thinlits Dies, Word Window Punch (retiring soon!), Pearl Basics

Here's a little MORE Sweet Sugarplum goodness ... with some Emerald Envy goodness as well!!! I am really loving all the new In Colors for this year. I usually like one or two or them new colors really well, and then "grow" into liking most of the others. This year I love them ALL!!

Stamps: Love & Affection
Paper: Sweet Sugarplum, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, 2016-2017 InColor DSP Stack, Vellum
Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Mint Macaron, Emerald Envy, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Circle Framelits, Blushing Bride Sequin Trim, Emerald Envy Ruched Ribbon, Mini Stapler

The butterflies in my stomach are more like JUMBO JETS at this point (which is appropriate seeing as I'm sitting in the airport)! I'm nervous about getting on a flight and arriving on time (I've never flown with a buddy pass, so this is a nail-biting experience). And then there is that little thing I plan to do in China ... you know, the marathon??? On the GREAT WALL??!!??? This has been such a long, crazy dream-come-true-bucket-list sort of thing for me. I can't believe I am THISCLOSE to having it actually happen!!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... WONDERFUL-WONDERFUL-WONDERFUL!!!

Fab Friday #87

It has become (finally!) way-more-than-obvious to me that running and training for a marathon have taken over my life ... which is why my house is a mess, my laundry is behind and my craft room looks like a bomb blew up in it (again!)!!! NEXT WEEK!!! After NEXT WEEK I can sit and sit and sit ... and watch chick flicks ... and STAMP!!! Holy SMOKES!!! If it weren't for the challenges I participate in (like Fab Friday!) I may have fallen COMPLETELY off the crafty map by now!!


I had to push SO much stuff out of the way to create my card for today, based on the sketch challenge below. I still have SUCH a mess down there from making display samples for last MONTH'S OnStage event (NOT kidding!)!!! My goal is to get it cleared off before I leave for China ... crossing my fingers!!

Stamps: Moroccan Nights, Fabulous Flora (sentiment)
Paper: Whisper White, Rose Red, Sahara Sand, 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack
Ink: Dapper Denim, Rose Red, Sahara Sand
Accessories: Wink of Stella, Circles Framelits, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Blushing Bride Sequin Trim, Linen Thread, Decorative Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Project Life Corner Rounder Punch

Moroccan Nights!!! WAHOOO!!!! We received this stamp set last month at Stampin' Up's OnStage event. I seriously LOVELOVELOVE it!!! SO great for this sketch challenge!!




Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

I'm in the "tapering" phase of my marathon training ... it feels so very WEIRD to be doing less than I have been ... I'm going to need EVERY last OUNCE of strength to conquer the Great Wall. Just the fact that I am attempting this is a win for me ... checking China off my bucket list next week!!

Monday Montage #68

Happy Monday Montage, my friends!!! Saturday was officially THREE WEEKS until I will be running the Great Wall Marathon ... and I have decided that I must be completely BONKERS ... but more on that later ... I have a couple of really FUN things to share. Both of these were samples I made for the 2016 OnStage Event here in Salt Lake City. LOVELOVELOVE the new In Colors ... SO much!!!!

I tried to get as MANY of the new In Colors on this card as possible!!! Hahahaha!!! I got three out of five!!!  These colors are so vibrant and fresh ... and the Flirty Flamingo and Peekaboo Peach are SOOOO springy!!! They make me happy!

Stamps: Greatest Greetings
Paper: Dapper Denim, Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack
Ink: Dapper Denim
Accessories: Banners Framelits Dies, Mini Treat Bag Framelits Dies, Itty Bitty Punch Pack (heart), Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon, Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Some more spring-y going on ... The Emerald Envy is TERRIFIC, don't you think????

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic, Greatest Greetings
Paper: Dapper Denim, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, 2016-2018 In Color Designer DSP Stack
Ink: Dapper Denim, Peekaboo Peach, Emerald Envy
Accessories: Tags & Labels Framelits Dies, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits, Peekaboo Peach Ruched Ribbon, Burlap Ribbon, Linen Thread

Ok ... so I haven't ever mentioned here on my blog that I am part of an A-MAZ-ING running group called Huntsman Hometown Heroes. We run and train together starting at the beginning of the year (before "race" season). And every team member is COMMITTED to being a REASON FOR HOPE and helping to find a cure for cancer. All monies we fundraise (as in 100%!!!) go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City (WORLD CLASS!!)! I have made a goal to raise $500 myself ... and have reached the $150 mark!! HOORAY!!! I am aiming toward reaching my goal before we leave for China and the Great Wall Marathon in TWO WEEKS (my friend says she saw a meme that quoted, "Any crazy person can run. It takes a SPECIAL kind of CRAZY person to run a marathon!!" SOOOO true!!). I know I can do it with the help of my stamp-y friends!!! Please click on THIS LINK if you'd like to donate (even $5 ... less than the cost of a roll of Glue Dots ... helps!!!)!!! You guys are AWESOME!!!

You can also click on this photo to take you to the donation page as well (that photo in the upper-left-hand corner is of me and my father three months before he died ... it's such a treasure to me!!!) ...

And yeah ... that's MY toe ... and MY blister!!! I've EARNED that!!! (And more than I'd like to count!!!)  Every one is worth it!!!



Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... I haven't seen what they have made ... YET ... but I'm just as excited as I know that all of YOU are!!!